Soujiro

Hisaki Soujiro, usually called Soujiro, is a Japanese archer who begins as an unsupported, low-ranking Lair cadet and becomes one of Yeorum's regular teammates. Timid in conversation but increasingly tenacious in combat, he develops alongside Kim Ji-in from an anxious simulation partner into a trained member of Team Mochi. (Chapters 39–43, 112–122, 152, 225, 253–254)

Biography

From an unsupported cadet to Yeorum's teammate

Soujiro enters the Anti-demon War Simulation afraid that another poor result will force him to repeat his grade. Yeorum initially treats him as dead weight, but he responds to their first victory by proposing a sharpshooter-led formation and then adapts when Ji-in improves it. He follows Yu Jitae's unconventional directions, fights while frightened, and helps the team finish first. When privileged cadets dismiss him as someone who was merely carried, he nervously defends Yeorum, turning three harsh days into the beginning of a loyal friendship. (Chapters 39–43)

Soujiro later reunites with Yeorum, Ji-in, and Sophia Vorkova for the underground-fissure assignment. Determined not to hold the frontline fighters back, he endures training under twenty times normal gravity and accepts a new bow from Yu Jitae. During the raid he continues shooting after poison burns his leg, helping contain the Spider Queen's offspring while the others attack the boss. The group remains together as Team Mochi; by their first Association mission, Soujiro's old softness has become a visibly trained physique, and his cadet grade has risen from the 4000s into the 300s. (Chapters 112–122, 152, 225, 253–254)

Appearance and personality

Soujiro is short, with a broad enough frame to suggest physical potential. He initially has a chubby body, a bent neck, and a habit of shrinking under attention, all of which make his lack of confidence visible. Sustained training removes the drooping fat and gives him the compact, well-conditioned build and presence of a superhuman. (Chapters 39–40, 113, 254)

He is timid, apologetic, and prone to imagining the worst possible outcome, but those traits coexist with loyalty and endurance. Soujiro consoles Ji-in while crying himself, speaks up when others insult Yeorum, and keeps firing after being injured. Away from battle he can be enthusiastic and socially awkward, especially when talking about titles, his village, or heroic recognition. (Chapters 43, 113–114, 122, 225, 254)

Powers and abilities

Archery and battlefield movement

Soujiro serves as a mobile sharpshooter. He can shoot accurately while changing position, exploit openings created by Yeorum, and concentrate fire with Ji-in against specific monster parts. During the Spider Queen battle, he continues releasing arrows while poison festers in his leg. His courage exceeds his raw power: an experienced commentator calls him fierce but explicitly notes that he still lacks strength and experience. (Chapters 40–41, 121–122)

Perception, planning, and conditioning

Soujiro can close his eyes and separate faint footsteps in an underground corridor, though his hearing remains inferior to Yu Jitae's extraordinary senses. He also proposes formations and produces a stable, professional-looking raid plan. His physical conditioning eventually lets him cope with twenty times normal gravity and transforms his body, but no named blessing or supernatural sensory technique is attributed to him. (Chapters 40–41, 113, 254)

Relationships

• Yeorum: Yeorum begins by belittling Soujiro, then becomes the demanding leader whose standards push him beyond his fear. He defends her after their first simulation and later chooses the long-term Team Mochi partnership despite knowing that outsiders see him as being carried by her strength. (Chapters 39–43, 112–122, 152, 225, 253–254)
• Kim Ji-in: Soujiro and Ji-in are fellow unsupported sharpshooters who frequently operate as a pair. They revise formations together, train under the same pressure, cover one another's attacks, and share both tears and humour as their confidence grows. (Chapters 39–43, 89–90, 102, 112–122, 225, 254)
• Sophia Vorkova: Sophia joins Soujiro in the four-person fissure party and Team Mochi. She frequently mocks his earnest remarks, but in battle she protects the two sharpshooters with Refraction while they fire through the opening she creates. (Chapters 112–122, 152, 225, 253–254)
• Yu Jitae: Yu Jitae first acts as Soujiro's simulation operator, then trains him and buys him a suitable bow when his lack of support leaves him using basic Lair equipment. Soujiro fears his harsh methods but trusts his judgment and benefits directly from his investment. (Chapters 39–43, 112–114)

Items

Bow artifact

Soujiro initially relies on simple equipment supplied by Lair because he has no guardian, household, or guild support. After his gravity training, Yu Jitae takes him to an artifact shop and buys him a proper bow. It remains his principal weapon through the fissure assignment and his later work with Team Mochi. (Chapters 40–41, 113, 121–122, 254)

Protective necklace

Soujiro is issued a Level 1 protective necklace for the B+ fissure raid. Its normal functions include protecting the body and organs and producing an emergency field after an otherwise unbearable impact. Yu Jitae discovers that the first set has been sabotaged before Soujiro can wear it, preventing the defective supplementary gem from endangering him during the raid. (Chapters 114–115, 122)